Hughton: Survival will be the goal again next season

Chris Hughton says the main goal for Brighton next season will again be to maintain their place in the Premier League.

Hughton feels Albion have to become stable in the top flight before they can make bigger steps but added there is little to choose between sides below the top six.

Brighton, Huddersfield and Newcastle have all stayed up after promotion from the Championship last year, which is just the third time all three promoted clubs have avoided relegation from the Premier League.

Asked at his pre-match press conference for Sunday's game at Liverpool what the next step is for the Seagulls, Hughton said: "The next step is making sure we stay in the division again. It has to be that way, this is only our first season in the Premier League.

"We are learning still and trying to improve as much as we can and we will try in the summer to add to the squad, even though I don't see big additions.

"We are still learning but more importantly it's about stability. You have to be stable in the division first before perhaps you can make bigger steps.

"For us, it's very much about making sure we're still in the division come the end of next season."

Hughton added teams who get promoted into the Premier League are now better prepared, which has helped make the division more open.

He said: "I don't think anybody would have had the three teams that are going down (at the start of the season) and arguably some of the other teams which have been close to going down, I don't think many would have had them.

"It's become a more open division outside the top six and teams coming up will perhaps be better prepared than in the past.

"The spending capabilities are a little bit more open now. We invested and recruited in the summer and I like to think we recruited well but we also broke our transfer record on four occasions, as did Huddersfield, and Newcastle spent big the season before and also spent in the summer.

"Teams coming up know they have to be better prepared and that's what has made the division so open."